Skip advert
Advertisement
Features

Concept cars - the Volkswagen EcoRacer

It's hard to imagine Volkswagen promoting its engineering through a diesel sports car today, but it did just that in 2006

Perhaps in hindsight, the name 'EcoRacer' doesn't now seem as appropriate as it once did. Diesel, and particularly Volkswagen diesels, are no longer seen with such hope as they were a decade ago.

That much can be seen by the Volkswagen concept that stole the headlines at the recent Paris motor show. The Volkswagen I.D. is a safe concept. Golf-sized, friendly styling, humility. Electric power. Autonomous functions.

Advertisement - Article continues below

The VW EcoRacer, revealed at the Tokyo motor show back in 2006, was rather different. Aggressive rather than friendly, outgoing rather than humble, and powered by Volkswagen's golden fuel, diesel.

People were buying TDIs in their droves back in 2006. They still do today, but the emphasis is even more firmly on minimising consumption and emissions (particularly post-'dieselgate'), rather than that tantalising mix of petrol-beating performance and hybrid-beating economy that proponents of diesel engines were so heavily pushing.

The EcoRacer was pretty brisk, thanks more to its carbonfibre construction and 850kg kerb weight than the 134bhp 1.5-litre diesel it packed amidships. 0-62mph took 6.3 seconds. No, it really did; the EcoRacer was a working prototype rather than a glitzy ornament destined to rotate on a turntable looking pretty in pictures.

The other benefit of the low weight and compact diesel motor was of course economy, and an average figure of 83mpg certainly wouldn't look shabby today, particularly in a car with the performance to comfortably out-sprint a Mazda MX-5, the car the EcoRacer would surely have targeted in the market.

There were other tricks, of course. The EcoRacer's roof was particularly adaptable, transforming from a full coupe (with a profile that people would probably call a shooting brake today, even if it's nothing of the sort), to a targa-roofed sportster, to a full speedster with a flyscreen and roll hoop.

The cabin is quite prescient of modern trends, with a minimalist look that ditches most traditional dashboard architecture, and even eschews a central display for an all-encompassing setup within the main instrument pod - it isn't hard to see it as a forerunner of Audi's Virtual Cockpit.

An EcoRacer today would doubtless look very different. Electric power is now VW's buzzword and it's hard to imagine any kind of sports car being the figurehead for the firm's upcoming technology. Not least because sports cars represent an ever-decreasing market, but it's likely environmental friendliness and ease of use will take precedence over fun while VW rebuilds its tarnished reputation.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Bentley EXP 15 looks deep into Crewe's electric future
Bentley EXP15 Concept front
News

Bentley EXP 15 looks deep into Crewe's electric future

British brand reveals latest concept designed to reinvent the traditional saloon car
8 Jul 2025
Mercedes Concept AMG GT XX previews a Porsche Taycan rival with a British heart
Mercedes-AMG Concept GT XX – front
News

Mercedes Concept AMG GT XX previews a Porsche Taycan rival with a British heart

Innovative British motor tech and advanced high-performance batteries are at the heart of this 1341bhp concept and the production car it'll inspire
25 Jun 2025
Lotus Theory 1 concept is a three-seat, 986bhp hypercar
Lotus Theory 1
News

Lotus Theory 1 concept is a three-seat, 986bhp hypercar

With Veyron power, a carbon tub and EV underpinnings, the Lotus Theory 1 is more junior Evija than Emira successor
17 Sep 2024
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

£15k off Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio super SUV
Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio
News

£15k off Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio super SUV

If you have to have an SUV, a Stelvio QV is acceptable. Now it's being heavily discounted.
8 Jul 2025
MST Mk1 Sports is a more affordable less extreme Ford Escort recreation
MST Ford Escort front
News

MST Mk1 Sports is a more affordable less extreme Ford Escort recreation

Costing a tenth of most made-new classics, the MST Mk1 Sports is comparatively accessible
8 Jul 2025
New Aston Martin Vantage S revealed – Ferrari Amalfi rival is more powerful and focused
Aston Martin Vantage S front
News

New Aston Martin Vantage S revealed – Ferrari Amalfi rival is more powerful and focused

With a bump in power output among myriad detail changes, the Vantage S could be the ultimate driver’s Aston
8 Jul 2025